De-bunking the myths of English Cookery
One delicious recipe at a time

Recipes that are delicious and that always work!

You know these recipes are delicious because if I didn't think that they were fabulous . . . I wouldn't be showing them to you. You can also be sure that these recipes work for the same reason! The rest is simply a matter of taste.

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Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.

Make Your Own Baking Powder:You can make your own baking powder by combining 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar. It's ideal for coeliac sufferers who can't find the gluten-free variety of this raising agent, but measure it out carefully because too much or too little can upset a recipe's balance.

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning: Mix together 2 1/2 TBS of salt, 1 TBS dried oregano leaves (Rub to a powder using your fingertips), 1 TBS sweet paprika, 1 TBS cayenne pepper, and 1 TBS ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to six months.Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mix together 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground mace or ground cardamom. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

Welcome to my English Kitchen. I moved over here to England from Canada in the year 2000. Before I arrived, I was told that the cooking and food over here was awful, except for the Roast Beef and the Fish and Chips. I had no idea of what to expect, but it didn't sound good.
I landed at Heathrow with a bulging suitcase full of kitchen tools, handwritten recipes and a 4 litre can of Maple Syrup, totally prepared to be greeted with the worst.
I am happy to say that over the past 16 years I have discovered that most of what I had heard was totally and completelywrong!
Here in the UK we have some of the best poultry, meats, fishes, ingredients and produce in the world, and some of the most innovative chefs. I have learned so much about cooking in the past fifteen years, and I've enjoyed trying and experiencing many new things, thankfully most of them wonderfully delicious!
I love English food . . . both the traditional, and the wonderful blend that is modern British Cuisine . . . a delicious mixture of a variety of tastes and cultures.
I hope you'll come along with me as I explore all the wonderful tastes, sights and textures that England has to offer even the most discerning of palates.

Marie Rayner cooks and writes from a little terraced house where she lives with her man the Toddster, and their little pup Mitzie.

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

What to eat now!

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A lot of you have suggested that I write a cookbook. The good news is I already have. Recipes From The Big Blue Binder. A delicious sampling of all my tried and trues, and family favourites gleaned from a lifetime of love and good cookin'! Find such favourites asBanana Granola Pancakes, Mom's Split Pea Soup, Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza, and Grammy Woodworth's Blueberry Buckleto name but a few. 178 pages of delicious recipes and beautiful colour pictures, available as a lovely book or as a download. You can click on the book to go to my storefront to purchase. If you already own it, please feel free to leave feedback on my Lulu page. Thanks so much!

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Friday, 17 July 2015

Usually on Sundays I try to put something into the crockpot for dinner before I leave for church. We are always so starving by the time we get home, which usually isn't until about 2 PM! If I haven't been really organized and used the crockpot, we end up eating things we shouldn't because lets face it . . . by that time we don't care what goes into our mouths. We just want to fill that gap! Not to self . . . perhaps carry an apple in your church bag . . .

Sister Johansen who is another Senior Missionary here in the UK, said she really wanted to make this Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing recipe that she found on Pinterest, but wasn't sure if she actually could because they don't do boxed stuffing mix here. Well . . . they do, but it's not like any stuffing mix we are used to in North America. Over here in the UK, it is like cracker crumbs . . . I think it's called crumbled rusk. Anyways, like Sister Johansen, I didn't think it would work in this recipe.

And so I promised Sister Johansen that I would find a way to make it work. And guess what??? I did! I created my own stuffing mix. (You will find the recipe below.) And you know . . . it has to be better than anything storebought with artificial ingredients and additives. Well, that's my theory anyways!

It worked really well! Really, REALLY well. This was delicious and so simple to put together. All I had to do was add some potatoes and vegetables. Boiled baby potatoes and some steamed veg were just the trick. The leftovers the next day were even tastier.

Place
your chicken in the bottom of your crock pot. Pour the chicken broth
over all and then lay a slice of cheese over top of each. Whisk
together both of the soups and the milk. Pour this over top ov the
cheese and chicken. Top with the stuffing mix. Cover and cook on low
for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Serve with your choice of side
dishes. I recommend steamed baby potatoes and broccoli.

A
handy version of a store bought favourite, which works out a lot
cheaper and tastier in the long run. It will keep stored in a large
airtight container for up to 4 months. If you want to store it longer,
you can freeze it.

30 slices of firm textured bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

150ml of oil (about 2/3 cup)

3 TBS instant minced onion

3 TBS dried parsley flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp celery salt

3/4 tsp rubbed sage

1/2 tsp rubbed thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat
the oven to 160*C/300*F/ gas mark 3. Put the bread into two 13 by 9
inch pans and toast in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whisk together the oil and the seasonings. Remove the bread cubes from
the oven and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the oil, tossing to coat
the bread cubes. Store in an airtight container.

To make
stuffing: combine 1 tsp instant chicken boullion stock powder, along
with 6 ounces of boiling water. Melt 6 TBS of butter in a skillet and
saute one medium onion (peel and chop) with 4 stalks of celery (chopped)
until softened. Toss together with the chicken stock and 7 cups of the
stuffing mix. Use to stuff a chicken or turkey prior to roasting,
or bakd in a lightly buttered casserole for half an hour at 180*C/350*F/
gas mark 4. You can also use it to stuff pork chops.

Hi Marie, love the idea of the reçipe and your stuffing makes a much better topping than anything you could do with British stuffing mic. However we are really not fans of condensed soups in this house (shame as they are so convenient) or really canned soups in general, is there anything else you can suggest to produce a good sauce that I could use instead? I don't make enough use of my slow cooker so am on the look out for new recipes.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to cook the flour. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and then the milk. Continue to whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Season to taste. It's now ready to use.

I think I baked my absolute most favourite cake of the year today! And, YES , that IS saying a lot!! I picked up the August issue of G...

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Due to increased interest, I have decided to offer my illustrated cookbooklets on a permanent basis. At present there are five on offer, but I will be adding to them from time to time so do check back often. You can find them all by clicking on the COOKBOOKLET heading above. I think you will find that they are good value for money spent and they make delightful and economical gifts for your friends and family. Thanks so much for looking!

They are titled: A Very Royal Tea Party, The Great British Picnic, Christmas in The English Kitchen, Recipes to Keep, and Spring into Summer.

All are recipes that you will not find on my blog anywhere.

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I can't pretend to know everything, but I more than welcome your questions and suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me on MarieAliceJoan at aol dot com and I'll endeavour to find out the answers to your most burning questions. Maybe we can learn together!